When times get tough, it’s more important than ever to continue meeting with your therapist.
Some people leave teletherapy when personal troubles arise, while others feel like their progress is too slow. When this happens, it’s easy to lose sight of the purpose of treatment.
Healing doesn’t always happen in a straight line. Sometimes the benefits of online therapy are just around the corner.
Don’t Quit
When you decided to attend teletherapy, you likely came with a goal in mind or knew that you needed help through a difficult situation. If your goal hasn’t been reached yet, that doesn’t mean that you aren’t making progress toward recovery
Good therapy can often mean dealing with difficult issues, feeling uncomfortable emotions, and overcoming hurdles that seem impossible at first.
Quitting therapy too early can leave things half-finished. Sometimes breaking through is just a matter of commitment to the process and allowing yourself enough time.
Hard Times Are When
You Need Help the Most
You may be considering stopping therapy because it’s too intense or because you don’t feel as though your symptoms are getting better. But these are the times that you need the help of a therapist the most.
Powerful emotions and situations are often the hardest ones to break through. However, consistent work with a therapeutic professional can help you chip away at your problems, even if the results aren’t immediately clear.
Emotions can often cloud judgment. When you have strong feelings, it may be hard to see things objectively. This can make you feel like therapy isn’t working, even when it’s helping you keep your symptoms from getting worse and guiding you away from further distress.
These are the times when therapy is often the hardest, but if you persevere, you may recognize this as the time when your therapist helped you the most.
Therapy Takes Time
Therapy isn’t necessarily a quick fix, and no therapist will guarantee instant results. It is a continuous process that takes patience, time, and dedication. Just because you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel now doesn’t mean that it isn’t there.
Maybe you’re not thinking about leaving therapy because you’re overcome by the emotion of it, but rather you feel bored when you’re in session. This, too, is an indication that you may need more time to get comfortable with your therapist and open up about the issues that brought you here in the first place.
If you’re still struggling to meet the goals that brought you into therapy, boredom might be a sign that you’re not yet willing to divulge to your therapist what’s really going on.
It Gets Better
The whole science of therapy and counseling services is designed to help you get better, whatever your goals. If you persist through the tough times and make it through to the other side, you’ll be able to see your progress and will recognize how therapy has helped you in the long term.
Sticking with online therapy benefits you in several ways, such as:
Giving you a place to unload your regular worries and frustrations
Helping you to overcome uncomfortable situations and emotions
Providing a source for compassionate understanding
Keeping you focused on your goals
Teaching you coping methods and strategies for self-improvement
Quitting teletherapy can leave you without these essential tools for your mental health.
Clarify Your Goals
If you’re not seeing the progress that you’d like to see during your therapy sessions, it may be time to clarify your goals with your therapist. You could be working on different agendas, talking past each other without even knowing it.
Clarifying your goals and resetting your intentions is a great way to revitalize your therapy sessions and start back on the path towards progress.
Being honest with your therapist that you’re not feeling that you’re progressing is a great way to start this conversation. Tell them your concerns, and outline what you’d like to focus on in future sessions. Together, you can form a plan to invigorate your therapy sessions and start seeing results once again.
If Your Needs Aren’t Being Met, Try a New Provider
Sometimes your therapist just isn’t providing the support that you need. In these cases, you should try out a new provider instead of quitting outright. One of the greatest benefits of online therapy is that finding a new provider is simple and easy.
You may be concerned about hurting your therapist’s feelings if you switch to another provider. Rest assured that your provider will understand your decision. Therapists know that not every client is a perfect fit, and any good therapist will be happy to see you receive the treatment you are looking for.
When looking for a new therapist, try to find somebody who:
Offers culturally competent care
Has experience helping people with your particular issue or goals
You feel safe and secure speaking with
You can be open and honest with
Trying out new therapists until you find a better fit can help get you back on track.
Teletherapy and Culturally Competent Care
When seeing an in-person provider, you may be limited by the choices of therapists within a convenient distance from your home or workplace. Teletherapy solves this problem by allowing you to connect with providers all over the world, with flexible scheduling and unbeatable convenience.
One of the best online therapy benefits is how many diverse providers you have access to. These providers come from all different cultures and have distinct experiences. Because of the diversity in providers, teletherapy makes it easier than ever to find a therapist who provides culturally competent care.
Finding a therapist who is a good fit for you and your goals has never been easier with extensive online therapy options that are just as effective as in-person care.
If you feel like you’re stuck in therapy because your therapist doesn’t quite understand where you’re coming from or recognize the unique aspects of your culture or upbringing, finding a culturally competent therapist could be the solution.